The weather forecast calls for a chance of snow every day this week through the New Year’s weekend. New snow accumulation of 1-2 inches is possible by this Wednesday as the chance of precipitation jumps from 30-60% by mid-week in our Upper Green River Valley. Scattered snow showers are expected every day with daytime temperatures in the 20s. SnoTels in the surrounding mountains are reporting from 2-3 feet of snow, which varies by location, elevation and aspect. Pinedale got about 2 inches of new snow overnight by Tuesday morning.

Skiing and Snowboarding:White Pine Ski Resort reported getting 2 inches of new snow Tuesday, bringing their total snow depth to 37”. Current snow condition reports are available daily on the website or by calling their SnoPhone number for the recorded report at 307-367-6606. White Pine Resort is located just 10 miles from Pinedale. They are open 7 days a week through the winter season with lifts running from 9 am to 4 pm. They have more than 25 trails rated from beginner to expert, as well as 35 kilometers of free cross-country ski trails near the lodge. Nine kilometers of the cross-country trails are groomed for classic and skating lanes. White Pine will be holding a skiing "Torchlight Parade" on New Year’s Eve. www.whitepineski.com

There are also many miles of groomed and ungroomed cross-country ski trails near Pinedale by the CCC Ponds/Fremont Lake area, and up the Fremont Lake Road/Skyline Drive in Kelly and Surveyor Parks. X-C Ski Trail Map (3.5 MB PDF)

Area Snowmobiling: The Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail (CDST) is being groomed in the Upper Green (past The Place) with about 12” of base. www.grguestranch.com

Snow depth is marginal and spotty on the CDST from South Pass to Pinedale and that portion of the trail is not being groomed. Snowmachine trails are being groomed in the Wyoming Range. The Horse Creek area has about 12-32" of base and there is approximately 24" base in the Big Piney/LaBarge area. Granite Hot Springs trails are being groomed with about 18" of base.

Tiger Jaskolski, from Moose Snowmobile Rentals in Pinedale (Big J’s), gave us this report Tuesday morning for snowmobiling in the Horse Creek area in the Wyoming Range. "Right now the snowmobiling is fair. With this next snow, it should get better. If we can get a foot to 15” of new snow, it will be better. Roads getting in to trailheads are excellent and parking is good. Low elevation riding is fair. Can’t really go off-trail riding yet. Groomed trails are all good." Watch the reports on these next snows for changes in the trail conditions. Moose Rentals has started renting snowmachines and trailers, 307-367-2833, bigjcarquest@hotmail.com.

Gary Neely from Pinedale’s Bucky’s Outdoors reports, "All the trails are groomed. There’s good off-trail snow on Elk Ridge in the Upper Green and Blind Bull up Horse Creek. Upper Green is groomed over to Lakes Lodge and Horse Creek is open over to the Box Y. All the lodging places are open, and have lunch and gas. Parking lots are about half full. Be careful at lower elevations because of low snow, but groomed trails are all good. Above 8500 feet it is pretty good." Bucky’s has new Polaris snowmachines, as well as used machines for sale on their website. www.buckysoutdoors.com, 307-367-4561.